The Oaxaca Museum of Contemporary Art just celebrated its 25th anniversary and they did it in a big way. Twenty-five years may be an easy thing to say, but that amount of time involves many challenges and a lot of hard work, as the Museum’s Director, Cecilia Mingüer, pointed out. The Ministry of Culture, together with other cultural institutions, joined the celebration and congratulated the museum for undertaking such a journey.
Night fell upon us and the band Blandas y Tlayudas, popularly known as BYT, lit up the party with its Jamaican ska and reggae rhythms. The first chord was enough for more than 300 people to take over the dance floor and let themselves be carried away by the effects of the on-the-house mezcal. The BYTers hypnotised the audience with songs like “Así somos acá,” “Como una patada en el fundillo” and“Arenita´s Dream,” with Alejandro Reyes and Kunt Vargas playing the bass and the trombone, respectively. The night reached its climax when BYT invited mythical sax player Steven Brown to join the show, turning the whole place into a branch of the Central de Abastos at rush hour. They played a couple of songs together and although the audience wanted more, there were other surprises yet to come.
Locomotora Johnson, an American-Zaachilan band with an interesting fusion of blues-classic rock-Jawai Surfers-style sound, appeared after a brief performance piece. Since this was a special occasion, Steven Brown was again invited to join the gig. At this point of the night, the audience surpassed 500 souls who sang and danced to songs by Muddy Waters, Elmore James and Howling Wolf. The museum’s patio seemed to have been morphed into a 50’s dance hall and people danced nonstop to the tunes played by Yorch, Nito Marz Modernist, Fuzzer and George.
Both bands dedicated some words to the MACO on its special day, and also shared that they will be back in the studio this year. Stay tuned, as we will be hearing a lot from them.
The place started to empty, the birthday boy had had an amazing time and, having enjoyed a memorable dance session, the guests left in small groups, eagerly awaiting the 26th birthday cake.
Fotografías: Ferbuky Buki
Reseña: Luis García
